Pete's Dish - May 29

Chapter One, a "New American" restaurant, just opened in Manhattan's cozy West Village. The pub vibe is elevated casual-cool with operating partner Damian Collins and Warren Baird (formerly Esca in Hell's Kitchen) in the kitchen as Executive Chef. A mural of the location circa 1910 lines a wall, accented with Oxblood banquets and pewter-topped dining tables and enough windows to be perfect for people-watching. Classics such as duck confit, celery root, and steak tartar co-mingle with Western European influences, yet remain solidly American, made with local meats, seafood and vegetables. Lingering at the bar, poring over cocktails (featuring a lot of American whiskeys) is most definitely permitted. Sample malt-vinegar chips and pork rinds while at it--or sidle over to a table for something more substantial such as oyster chowder with cream, Swiss chard and a soupcon of dill oil for a starter, and crispy chicken in sorrel butter sauce or pork belly with chorizo-apple pudding for mains. Chapter One is located at 33 Greenwich Avenue, New York, NY 212-842-9146, ChapterOneNYC.com.

 

The Urban Tech Gala Celebration honors the charity that has supported youth and community through technology for 19 years now, connecting students and families to digital literacy, comprehensive health education, and life skills. The lineup of luminaries includes John Starks, Hill Harper, Maurice Dubois, Alicia Quarles, and Mel Debarge--of course, make a racket with award presenters Billie Jean King and Lou Gossett! Check into the VIP cocktail party at 6pm, followed by the dinner and awards ceremony, and a silent and live auction. Maurice DuBois, award winning anchor of CBS 2 News This Morning and the weekend edition of CBS Evening News, will serve as the Master of Ceremonies for the evening alongside E! Entertainment News' Alicia Quarles. Three Sixty.com, located in New York's TriBeCa neighborhood, plays host to the event. And yes, you guessed it, there are 360-degree views of the city. For more info, tickets, a peek at the online auction, and some of the experiences you can bid on during the evening, go to UrbanTech.org.

 

This picture of lobsters is of my own lobsters cooked in Maine, found here, not actually from Luke's Lobster, but the restaurant's offerings will be on hand at The Governors Ball Music Festival, to be orchestrated from June 6 to 8 in Randall's Island Park. 2014 attendees can sample food from more than 50 vendors. A partial list of participants include VIP only Pok Pok Ny, Calexico, Go Burger, Hill Country BBQ--but among the other vendors, such as L'Artusi, Crif Dogs, Momofuku Milk Bar, Pizza Vita and The Taco Tent, their stands are wide open for all. Musician Jack White promises to rock the park while the rest of us have the opportunity to loosen our belts and taste cuisines that span the globe. 

P.S. Tabasco now has its own brand of sriracha sauce, perhaps to be used for pork sliders with sriarcha aioli (the progress is seen above). Just sayin'.

Kentucky Derby Bon Voyage Party

For the first time in the 15 years that I've been throwing Kentucky Derby parties, I actually had to make more simple syrup for the Mint Juleps! Probably because I made Trudy's Mint Juleps for the first time too, which our guests found irresistable. This Derby party was also special since Baby and I are going overseas for a few weeks and we wanted to be with some of our nearest and dearest before we take off. Hence, a Kentucky Derby Bon Voyage Party!

When folks arrive, Benedictine sandwiches are always on the table, the recipe pulled from an issue of my beloved Saveur magazine collection. To whit, cucumber and cream cheese sandwiches, with a touch of Tabasco, lightly spread on Pepperidge Farm Very Thin White Bread. We also juiced a parsley bunch and whisked it in for some color and flavor, instead of the curious use of green food coloring.

Martha Stewart's Menus for Entertaining has always been epic in my mind, instrumental in planning my Derby parties--stuck in between its pages, my sentimental copy has grocery receipts, shopping lists and pressed lilacs from years past. From the "Fried Green Tomatoes" Brunch, the simple to make Buttermilk Biscuits with Red Tomatoes are always a crowd pleaser. I don't actually make the biscuits, as Ms. Stewart suggests, I just buy Pillsbury Grands; I don't think biscuits get much better than that. We purchased Homestyle, Southern Style and Buttermilk for a decent variety, sliced the tomatoes somewhat thinly, with a widge of salt and pepper and served in a colander lined with a cunning cloth napkin.

We introduced a vat of the legendary Chasen's Chili to the Derby party, which I think is probably the best chili I've ever had! We ordered Gebhardt's chili powder online (for cheap!), but also threw in some of Penzey's Chili 9000 powder, which features cocoa powder in its list of ingredients. We served with grated cheddar cheese, sour cream, scallions and Frito's, like a Frito Pie. Mama yo quiero! How do you say delectable, divine?

Now to the race itself, the most exciting two minutes in sports, nobody at our party had bet on the winner, Mine That Bird, but since my pal and I had both bet on Pioneer of the Nile, who came in second, we split the pot. Another first! I had never won a dime ever at any Derby party!

Apres le competition, we served Ms. Stewart's Southern Shrimp with Grits, this time incorporating tender, flavorful rock shrimp as opposed to regular shrimp which is a pain in the neck to devein. We broke out and served it on individual spoons, with a dollop of grits, covered over by a fine dice of red, orange and yellow peppers with the shrimp and a topping of bacon and parsley. Just between us, anything presented on an individual spoon is sure to elicit innumerable 'oohs' and 'ahs.'

I think we all had a wonderful time and thankfully, the weather was with us once again for the Derby as we sipped our minty juleps with the breath of spring in the air, having pushed the windows wide open, even as we lingered into the evening.

Soundtrack: Sippie Wallace, Sippie; Atlantic Blues, Vocalists; The Sergio Mendes and Brasil '66 Foursider; Antonio Carlos Jobim, The Man From Ipanema, Disc 2; XTC, Skylarking; and later, The B-52's Anthology, Nude on the Moon.